Too many people evaluate player over situation. Cruz is way better than the O's DH options and should better their numbers from last season.

It's like people bashing the Ubaldo signing, saying he's not an ace, not worth the contract, etc. Perhaps he isn't worth it, but he's a HUGE improvement over Britton, who likely got knocked out of the rotation with that signing, so it's a good gamble for the O's.

Ubaldo is a good signing for the money, too. We're not paying him ace money.

But realistically, I don't think Cruz is really all THAT big of an improvement over the O's other options at DH. Between all the guys we added this offseason and the continued improvement of Urrutia, I think we could have kept someone in that spot all year who was better than replacement level, which was not the case last season. But we don't compare Cruz to last season, we compare him to the alternatives this season. Is he better than Delmon Young, Quintin Berry, Urrutia, et al? Probably, but if you get to play the hot hand out of all those guys he's probably only 1-2 wins better than them. Given that in the current market 1 win is worth about $5.5 million, it's still a good deal. But it's not outstanding unless he plays very well this season and brings back draft pick compensation next year.

No pitching? I love overreactors like you. You're probably screaming "Marlins are going all the way, baby!". It's 8 games in. Tillman looks good, Jimenez will get it together, and Gonzo will be fine. Chen and Norris worry me, but Gausman will be replacing one of them within a month.

Posted by Jtpsops on 4/8/2014 6:36:00 PM (view original):No pitching? I love overreactors like you. You're probably screaming "Marlins are going all the way, baby!". It's 8 games in. Tillman looks good, Jimenez will get it together, and Gonzo will be fine. Chen and Norris worry me, but Gausman will be replacing one of them within a month.

Posted by Jtpsops on 4/8/2014 6:36:00 PM (view original):No pitching? I love overreactors like you. You're probably screaming "Marlins are going all the way, baby!". It's 8 games in. Tillman looks good, Jimenez will get it together, and Gonzo will be fine. Chen and Norris worry me, but Gausman will be replacing one of them within a month.

Compared to the rest of the division? No, the O's don't have pitching.